Dave Anderson revealed after guiding Chertsey Town to Wembley glory that he had worn an AFC Wimbledon shirt in every round during the competition!
Just over 12 years since leaving AFC Wimbledon, Dave ended his long managerial career in style by leading Chertsey Town to FA Vase glory at Wembley on Sunday. Our former manager is so warmly remembered for his three-year spell here that plenty of Dons fans turned up at the national stadium to show their support for Dave – and he couldn’t resist showing off the badge!
“I wore a Wimbledon top right throughout the competition,” Dave told us this morning. “I put it on for the first round underneath my tracksuit and I wore it for every round. I wore it in the final, and I didn’t think I would show it to people, but I noticed a Wimbledon fan in the crowd. I just thought I would show it to him because it would make him smile!
“The fact I had a Wimbledon shirt on at Wembley tells you something! I’ve been a lucky guy and yesterday was the pinnacle. I’ve got hundreds of memories from my time at Wimbledon. It’s a club close to my heart and hopefully I’ll be down to see you all next season sometime.
“I’ve had hundreds of messages and I’m just trying to get through them 10 by 10! It’s been a fantastic response with people showing their support to me and Chertsey.”
Take a look above at a gallery of images with Dave celebrating Wembley glory (Pics by Shutterstock, Pro Sports Images).
Dave came out of managerial retirement back in March 2018 to take charge at Chertsey, but this time he is definitely calling it a day! Celebrations at the Crown Hotel in Chertsey went long into the night and the memories are a little hazy for Dave!
“I can’t remember much about the celebrations! It was a such a good night, I had a load of friends over from back home. We sat in the corner and had an absolute blast! The pub was bouncing, it was like the whole town came out. People in the town have been magnificent. Chertsey is a town that likes its football and they’d just forgotten that. We reminded them of it.
“I am absolutely sticking to it - I am retiring and going off into the sunset! It’s a super way to go and that’s it, done. It’s every schoolboy’s dream to win at Wembley. To take a team there and walk out there as a manager is a dream come true.”
Chertsey triumphed 3-1 after extra-time against Cray Valley Paper Mills and all at AFC Wimbledon congratulate Dave on his superb achievement. We will look forward to welcoming Dave back to the club soon.